The wait is over! Andrew McCutchen’s first home run of the season marks the 300th of his Major League Baseball career, a milestone both he and Pirates fans have been waiting for.
McCutchen’s 300th blast came in the form of a two-run shot in Philadelphia in the top of the ninth inning to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 9-2.
McCutchen becomes the 160th player all time to reach the 300 homers milestone, and it was only fitting that he did it as a Bucco.
McCutchen hit the first 203 home runs of his career as a Pittsburgh Pirate, before notching 15 as a San Francisco Giant, 5 as a New York Yankee, 47 as a Philadelphia Phillie, and 17 as a Milwaukee Brewer.
Last season, in his homecoming year to Pittsburgh, McCutchen added 12 home runs to that total, and looked poised to reach the 300 plateau before the season was out. Unfortunately, an achilles injury ended his 2023 season early, before he could hit that elusive 300th.
McCutchen vocalized a will to stay with the Pirates, and said at the time that hitting the 300th “isn’t going to be right anywhere else.”
As a result, the wait for his milestone homer took a little longer than previously expected; 237 days, to be exact.
It’s a shame that he the home run didn’t come while the Pirates were playing at PNC Park, which would have went into a frenzy. But, I suppose it is a little fitting that it did come against the team (other than the Pirates) that he spent the most time with.
A Pirates fan caught the ball, and the Pirates’ postgame broadcast on SportsNet Pittsburgh showed footage of the young fan being willing to give McCutchen the ball back.
Vinay and Toren Mehta are the Pirates fans who, in a see of Phillies fans, wound up with the catch. They weren’t looking for a big payday or trade in exchange for handing Cutch the ball, who met with them after the game.
Cutch said in his postgame interview in the clubhouse that the kid and his dad didn’t ask for much in return, but that he had to “hook them up a little.”
McCutchen went 2 for 5 overall today, also hitting a single and stealing home plate on a missed throw by the Phillies catcher, who was trying to pick off a stealing runner at second base.
On the year, McCutchen is slashing .194/.326/.659, with 4 RBI and now 1 home run. Though he started off the year in a bit of a slump, he has picked it up as of late.
(Featured photo by Matt Blewett/USA Today Sports via Reuters Con)
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